The 8th Horcrux

This article is not part of the Harry Potter universe.This article covers a subject that is part of the real world, and thus should not be taken as a part of the Harry Potter universe.

Promotional image of The 8th Horcrux released during the promotion of Potterwatch!

The 8th Horcrux is a wizard rock band from Ottawa, Kansas. The group specializes in parodies of familiar songs, adding a Harry Potter twist.

In 2009, the band released their debut album, Potterwatch!, selling all copies in less than three weeks. In late 2010, the band released Accio Awesome to similar critical and commercial success. The band recently released 100 copies of their third album, Noize From the Cupboard in the summer of 2011. In the summer of 2012, the band released their fourth album Ridiculously Wicked. Critically, the band has been a success, receiving praise from the students of Ottawa High School, various Kansas libraries and local newspapers.

To date, the band has released four full-length albums, four EPs, one live album, and is currently planning two compilation albums.

Contents

History

Origins

The 8th Horcrux, or, more specifically, the album Potterwatch!, began after Thomas happened to stumble upon the genre of 'Wizard Rock.' Inspired by this new found music style, and the then-recent Harry Potter movie, Thomas, and fellow friend and musician, Trina Sieg, began working on a wrock-themed album slated to be released by Thomas' older (and now defunct) band Famosiz. The idea of releasing the album under the Famosiz name was soon dropped, and the two took a new name. Dubbing themselves “The 8th Horcrux,” they became a parody band, much in the vein of “Weird Al” Yankovic, which devoted the entirety of its content to anything relating to the Harry Potter series.

"Potterwatch!" (2009)

The band immediately got to work planning. After a few months of writing and recording, the band whittled their ideas to several key parodies of The Lonely Island, Flobots, Meredith Brooks, My Chemical Romance, The Beatles, blink-182, Bowling for Soup, Alien Ant Farm, The Who, Green Day. In the final stages of recording, the Green Day parody ("The Chosen One" a parody of "Know Your Enemy") and the blink-182 parody ("The Yule Ball" a parody of "The Rock Show") were shelved for the bands sophomore album. Several other parodies were added, including a Gym Class Heroes parody and a Bloodhound Gang parody.

On 22 October, the band released their debut album, Potterwatch! The album was a surprise hit. The band had pressed 100 copies, and within three weeks, every copy was sold. The band received praise from many of the students of Ottawa High School and was even featured in the schools newspaper.[1] To promote the album, the band created a music video for their song "Witch."

"Accio Awesome" (2010)

In December of 2009, the band began working on their second album, titled Accio Awesome. Information leaked in August 2010 stated that the album would feature 15 song parodies, including the missing Green Day and blink-182 parodies and a re-recording of the older "1985" Bowling for Soup parody. On August 28th, the band released two songs, "In the Pensieve" and the new version of "Privet Drive" on their Myspace. In October, the band confirmed that the album would be available for purchase via the internet.

The album was released on November 3, 2010, selling dozens of copies on the first day of release. To promote the album, the band held a series of events, including a show at the local library. Eventually, the band was featured in Ottawa's newspaper.[2][3] In late November, the band released their entire discography onto Bandcamp and they also made their newest album available via PayPal.

Tour and "Noize From the Cupboard" (2010 - Present)

On March 11, the band co-headlined the Trifecta of Awesome tour in Ottawa. Later that month, the band participated in the Ottawa Spring Fling Battle of the Bands and finished in 5th Place. On April 16, The 8th Horcrux released two EPs, I Love Hogwarts and We R Death EateRs, for free to celebrate Record Store Day. The former is tangibly available at Kief's Records and the Love Garden (both in Lawrence, KS) and the latter is available on Bandcamp.

In the spring of 2011, the band once again regrouped to record their third album, titled Noize From the Cupboard. The album was released on the first of July. Noize From the Cupboard was released on Bandcamp and could be purchased physically through PayPal. The band also announced a summer tour, referred to as the "Mini-Summer Tour Extravaganza" on the band's Facebook page, which hit various libraries and bookstores across Kansas. During this time, the band was also nominated for Best Album (2010's Accio Awesome) and Best Female Vocals in the preliminary rounds for the wizard rock award show the Wizzies.[4] However, the band did not make it any further than the preliminary round.

On July 28, the band participated in the Louisburg Battle of the Bands and came in at First Place. In celebration of over 300 Facebook likes on the band's page, the band released the Pottermost! EP for free on their Bandcamp in August. On September 18, the band revealed that it was working on a live album recorded during the "Mini-Summer Tour Extravaganza." The album, titled The 8th Horcrux Live, was released on September 26, the day of Paul's birthday.[5]

To promote their releases, in mid-July, the band has decided to promote their releases by making videos for several of their parodies. Although the exact number of videos expected to be made is unknown, the band has released videos for "Wizarding Skillz," "Witch," "(Ginny's) Love Story," and "In the Pensieve."

Ridiculously Wicked (2012 - Present)

In early January, the band began releasing singles from their soon-to-be-released fourth album, scheduled to be released in July of 2012. The first single, "If You Wanna Rock at Quidditch," was released on January 13, and the second single was "Crabbe and Goyle," released on January 28. On April 21, the band released a free EP, titled Happy Record Store Day, which included "If You Wanna Rock at Quidditch" and "Crabble and Goyle", as well as a demo of their song "Kreacher". On June 17, the band announced that the tentative name for their new album would be Ridiculously Wicked'. The original name for the album was slated to be Riddikulusly Wicked, but the band changed their minds, realizing that "Riddikulus" was difficult to spell, and by proxy, difficult for fans to locate on the internet.